Electronic equipment, such as computers, facsimile machines and copiers, often are secured against unauthorized use by requiring a mechanical key for operation thereof. The key interfits with a key receptacle provided in the equipment, and the receptacle in turn controls an electrical switch that enables or disables the equipment depending on the position of the key.
Another level of security applied to such equipment is carried out by an identification card containing identification data encoded on a magnetic or optical stripe thereon, stored in an integrated circuit "chip" in the card, formed on embossments of the card or as a combination thereof. In some equipment, therefore, the manufacturer of the equipment must provide, and the user must carry, both a mechanical key and identification card, to operate the equipment.
The cost of providing an integrated circuit within a conventional credit card for this purpose is expensive, bearing in mind that the thickness of the card is, by standard, 30 mils. However, an integrated circuit for this purpose is necessary to process identification data stored therein together with keyboard entered data to determine whether the user is authorized to operate the equipment as well as to carry out data logging and reporting.
For example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 236,614 to the inventors named in this application, filed concurrently herewith, an apparatus for carrying out financial transactions at a common site or at remote sites via a facsimile machine, uses, in one embodiment thereof, a mechanical key containing an integrated circuit "chip" for turning on the facsimile machine and storing transaction data and a facsimile signature of the owner.